Hands down, my husband makes the BEST homemade burgers. Juicy, perfectly seasoned, good ole American beef BURGER. In fact, it is so good I’d rather have his homemade burger recipe than go out for burgers these days.
Over the last few years, we have tweaked and perfected this recipe, and so here it is…from our household to yours, I present to you The Ultimate Homemade Burger recipe.
For even more burger recipes, check out my Smash Burger, Cheese Stuffed Burger, Chicken Burgers, and Bacon Cheeseburger Slider! We love all types of homemade burgers around here!
The Best Homemade Burger Recipe
As the weather warms up, and summer is finally showing its face (it is 90 degrees this week in Austin…in May), I start to dream about a solid charcoal-grilled burger.
I love it when my husband grills because I do not have to work very hard in the kitchen, and we get a delicious meal. I make some cheesy potato wedges, cut up some fruits, get myself some ice cold beer, and he does all the hard work outside…
In fact, this homemade burger recipe is my husband’s tried and true hamburger recipe that he has made for decades. It as been perfected over time, and also stood the test of time.
It is the best burger recipe – the one we use every single time.
You can make this homemade burger on a charcoal or electric grill. Or even on a cast iron skillet on the stove top. We opt for charcoal because it gives it this charred flavored that, in my biased opinion, only wood can bring.
But our homemade burger is well-seasoned, and there’s so much going for it there, it will taste fantastic even if you grill it on an electric grill or pan fry it on the stove.
I don’t call this the ultimate homemade burger recipe for no reason. It is the best of the best. The only one you will ever need.❤️
Why make homemade burger?
Yes. Homemade hamburgers are the best. But why?
Here are all the reasons to make your own homemade burger recipe…
- SO MUCH less grease – Burgers can be super greasy, but if you are health conscious, and still want a burger that is not meatless every now and then (yes, this girl needs her meat), this is the way to go. We use super lean meat for this recipe, and don’t use excessive oil.
- SO MUCH cheaper. I’m telling you, it’s budget meal 101.
- You have full control of what goes into it?
- Want it less/more greasy? Reduce/add vegetable oil when cooking your patties
- Prefer more of less of a certain seasoning? Adjust it based on your preference
- Most importantly…it’s delicious! Because it tastes fresh, the meat is actually flavorful on the inside (not just the surface of the patties).
Ingredients
For the burger patties:
- ground beef – it is best to get fresh high quality ground beef. Pick ground beef with higher fat for the most moist and flavorful patties. A 80% lean 20% fat ground beef will bring good flavor.
- garlic powder – avoid fresh garlic because it is harder to stick in the patties – for this recipe, garlic powder is the way to go! Other seasonings you can add are onion powder.
- smoked paprika
- salt
- black pepper
- Worcestershire sauce – helps tenderize the meat and also add amazing depth in flavor to the patties, giving it a rich and savory taste.
Other components of the burger:
- burger buns – I typically choose brioche burger buns for my recipes, but any kind works.
- lettuce
- tomato – a slice of tomato really makes the burger taste so fresh and good!
- American cheese – or any type of cheese that melts easily!
- Condiments – mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, bbq sauce etc
How to make the Ultimate Homemade Burger recipe?
Let’s make some homemade burgers! And discover how EASY it is to make it happen!
Make Homemade Burger Patties
To get started, fire up your grill to get it pre-heated.
To make our juicy homemade burger patties, bring 2 lbs of defrosted ground beef into a large mixing bowl, and using your hands or a spatula, sightly loosen the ground beef.
For the burger seasoning, mix the dry ingredients together in a small ramekin, consisting of smoked paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt.
The goal is to enhance the taste of the ground beef with some spices, but not overpower it, because we want to be able to taste the meat. It is, after, a MEAT burger 😉
Pour half of the mixed dry ingredients into the ground beef, use your hand to mix it into the beef, then pour the other half in and do the same.
Next, pour about 2 1/2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce into the ground beef. Use less Worcestershire if ground beef has a higher fat content.
We use 2 1/2 tbsp for 93% lean 7% fat ground beef. If you are using 80% lean 20% fat ground beef, decrease your Worcestershire content to 2 tbsp.
Use hand to mix everything up, making sure you mix thoroughly. Worcestershire binds the meat together.
Next make the burger patties by grabbing about a fistful of ground beef and flattening it into 4-inch wide diameter and 1-inch thick patties.
Round the sides and gently press down on the middle of the patty to form a slight indention in the middle, because when the burgers cook the middle of the circle tend to rise more than the sides.
You can chill your burger patties if you’d like to get a firmer structure and shape, but if you’re short on time, you can just cook it immediately.
If you are using a skillet, grease skillet with oil and turn on the heat.
Place patties on grill/skillet, and cook on one side, then flip to cook the other side after a few minutes.
As a reference point, our grill was at 300℉ the whole time, and we cooked for 6 1/2 minutes on each side and got medium-well burgers.
Juicy, tasty, perfectly charred ground beef patties. My tummy is hungry!
Place a slice of cheese on the patties the last 30 seconds or so before removing from heat.
Assemble the Burger
Once the burger patties are done cooking, it’s time to bring it all together and assemble the burger!
We use good quality American because it melts super well and I do have a thing for melted cheese on burgers, but cheddar, swiss, provolone, gouda, pepper jack and so much more work great as well.
Toast the burger buns, assemble… beef and cheese + sliced tomato + lettuce + sauce (ketchup/mayo/mustard) and there you go…
There you have it, the perfect homemade burger…without the extra cost when you piled on eating out, and much better and healthier for you!
Other ingredients to add to your burger
A solid patty is important to make the best homemade burger. But do you know what else is important? Condiments and ingredients in your burger.
I love to pile my homemade burgers with the basic lettuce, tomato, and cheese. But there are days where I like to fancy it up and add some of these to it as well!
- Barbecue sauce instead of, or in addition to mayo/mustard/ketchup
- Pickles
- Grilled Onions or raw red onions
- Grilled Mushrooms
- Pineapple rings
- Avocado
- Guacamole
- And a foodie favorite… fried egg 🙂
Lots of options…get creative and jazz up your homemade beef burger! Or just have a old ole tradition burger because some of us can be a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to a classic like this.
The ultimate Homemade Burger. You cannot go wrong. ENJOY!!!
Tips and Tricks
- Choose slightly fatty ground beef: ground beef with at least 15%, or no leaner than 85%, fat content so that burgers are juicy and flavorful. My favorite ground beef to use for my burgers are 20/80 ground beef.
- If you end up using leaner ground beef: Use more Worcestershire sauce if ground beef is leaner to help compensate for the lack in fat/flavor. For example, use 2 1/2 tbsp if ground beef is 93% lean 7% fat or higher, and use 2 tbsp if ground beef is 80% lean 20% fat.
- Make small dent in the middle of patties: You can add a small dent in the middle of the patties before cooking so that it comes out more rounded in the middle.
- Do not overcook burger patties: Avoid overcooking your patties so that burgers are moist and juicy
- Cooking the patties: When cooking your patties, avoid flipping and poking your meat as much as possible to keep all the juices inside!
- Add cheese when meat is warm: When adding cheese, I like to add a slice or two of cheese to the top of the patties when they are done on the grill or stovetop, and let it sit for a few minutes or until the cheese is melted before removing them.
- Let patties rest: Resting after cooking will allow the patties to redistribute the juices and prevent juice from pouring out when you bit into the patties.
Frequently Asked Questions
For juicy and flavorful burgers, choose ground beef that is high in fat. An 80/20 mix of ground beef to fat is ideal.
I like to use good quality American cheese because it melts great, but really any cheese that melts well work – provolone, cheddar, Swiss, mozzarella…pick your favorite! You can even make it unique and use pimento cheese.
To prevent this, create a dimple or well in the centre of the raw patty using your thumb. The dimple will disappear as your burger cooks, resulting in an even patty.
The USDA recommends cooking ground beef until it reaches an internal temperature of 160°F. Using a meat thermometer is the best way to ensure your burgers are cooked properly.
Yes! You can season and shape the patties, and store them in the fridge for up to a day ahead. If you plan on freezing them, they can last for up to 3 months, just make sure to separate each patty with wax paper to prevent sticking.
ENJOYED THIS RECIPE? Tell us what you think by leaving a rating and review below! 🤍
Sides to go with your beef burger!
- Loaded Baked Potato Salad
- Light Raisin Coleslaw
- Easy Cheesy Potato Wedges
- Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Dressing
- Avocado Corn and Black Bean Salsa
- Broccoli Kale and Apple Slaw
- Smoky Baked Black Beans (by my blogger friend, Girl Heart Food!)
The Ultimate Homemade Burger
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 4-8 burger buns
- 8 slices American cheese
- lettuce (iceberg, romaine etc)
- 1-2 tomato sliced
- 1 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tbsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 – 2 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- mayo
- mustard
- ketchup
- vegetable oil if cooking on stove top
Instructions
- If using grill, fire up the grill.
- Loosen defrosted ground beef with hands or spatula.
- In a small bowl, mix together dry ingredients for burger seasoning – smoked paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt. Pour half of the dry seasoning into ground beef, use hand to mix it into the beef, then pour the other half and do the same.
- Next, pour Worcestershire sauce (see Note 1) onto ground beef and mix everything thoroughly.
- Grab a fistful of ground beef and form a round patty ~4 inch in diameter and ~1 inch in thickness. Round the edges and gently press on the middle to create a slight dent in the middle.
- When grill is hot, place burger patties on the grill. Grill 5-7 minutes on each side, or until burger is cooked to your liking (Note 2).
- If using stove top, heat up skillet with some vegetable oil, then place patties on the skillet. When one side is done, flip and cook the other side. Do not overlap and cook in batches if needed.
- Place a slice of cheese on top of the burger during the last 30 seconds of cooking. Remove patties from grill/stovetop. (Note 3) Cover in aluminum foil and let it rest for a few minutes.
- Lightly toast burger buns in toaster oven or on the grill if desire.
- Assemble burgers. Place beef patties and cheese between burger buns, and add lettuce, sliced tomato, condiments of your choice (mayo, mustard, ketchup, others?). (See Note 4)
- Serve and enjoy!
Burp…VERY tasty!
I am thrilled you enjoyed it!
Never can keep my Patties together… what a mess!
It is a messy meal, indeed 😉 Glad you enjoyed it!